Wrath Of The Jabberwock

by Mr. Grimm

Trixie's Pitifeeble Tangle With The Beast

Princess Celestia paced worriedly back and forth across the throne room, thinking about the news she had received almost four days ago. The revelation that the Jabberwock, the most terrifying beast in Equestrian History, was alive and well, did not sit well with her or her country. Already three more towns had been demolished, each one more prepared for attack than the last. At the rate of one town a day, the Jabberwock was leaving a considerable trail of destruction behind it. Thankfully nopony was reported dead, as they had sense to flee before it actually arrived into the town. But these had been small towns, with only a few hundred ponies. As the beast advanced west, where settlements were larger, there was a greater chance that somepony would be killed.

Celestia looked up as the double doors opened, revealing the captain of the guard. The Princess looked at him with worried yet hopeful eyes. They suddenly became hollow and empty when they saw the grim look on his face.

“Shining Armor,” she sighed, “Any word from King Gideon, yet?”

“Yes…” the unicorn replied. Celestia could tell from the tone of his voice that what he had heard was most unsatisfactory. His pause told her that he was reluctant to tell her. The Alicorn stood on edge as she waited for him to speak.

“They can’t find it,” breathed Shining, “It’s… missing.” Celesita’s eyes went wide as she heard this.

“Missing?”

“Stolen. The room it was kept in was broken into.” Celestia fell back into her throne, her eyes wide in shock. They suddenly sparked as a thought jumped into her head.

“When was it stolen?”

“They don’t know,” answered the unicorn. Celestia’s brow furrowed in frustration. The only thing the Jabberwock feared was missing. Only a total idiot would try and face the monster without it.

Trixie waited alongside the road. The sun was just setting, and the moon was appearing in the sky. She looked down the road to the east, and impatiently pawed on the ground. She looked very confident, but was in reality nervous beyond all reason. Knowing what was coming was bad enough, but forcing herself to confront it was terrifying. Even she, the Great and Powerful Trixie, was afraid of the beast that haunted the night terrors of beings everywhere. But the glory that awaited the conqueror of the Jabberwock was too much for her to resist. Sure, she hadn’t actually ever defeated an Ursa Major, or even an Ursa Minor. But the unicorn so desperately desired fame and fortune that she was determined to get it any way she could.

Even more she desired to repair her damaged reputation. With the addition of the Alicorn Amulet fiasco to an already long list of incidents, the mare was having trouble regaining what little fame she had to begin with. But all that would change once she dealt with the rampaging monster. The Jabberwock was undoubtedly the most feared creature to ever walk on Equestrian soil. Trixie recalled hearing from somewhere that it was unaffected by all but the most powerful magic, and that Starswirl himself nearly lost his life in a grueling battle with the beast that lasted three days. If one of the most powerful wizards in recorded history failed to defeat such an abomination, one had to wonder why Trixie thought she stood a chance.

The most likely answer was that her ego, while damaged, was still considerably larger than the average pony's.

Trixie dreamed of how much attention she would receive upon defeating the Jabberwock, the very nightmare of all Equestria. Every town would be filled with admirers waiting to bask in her presence. Royalty would come from miles around just to gaze upon her. Trixie would no doubt be the one of the most celebrated figures that ever lived, being placed alongside Starswirl the Bearded, and perhaps, even Celestia herself. She would be remembered for generations to come as a legendary hero.

Her fantasy was suddenly broken by a distant roar. Hearing it made the hair on her neck stand up. She’d heard the roars of dragons before, and none sounded like the horrid wail that sounded off in the trees to the east. Trixie gulped nervously. She could only imagine the size of the creature that had made it. There was another roar, this one nearer than the last. Now she could hear something beating against the ground, trudging closer and closer. A writhing shape suddenly burst out of the trees on the horizon. In the light of the setting sun Trixie could see it was a dark olive green. The beast was coming, and it was coming fast, moving on a pair of powerful clawed feet.

Trixie’s mouth became dry, and her legs felt as thought they had turned to jelly. It just kept coming closer, growing larger with each step. The unicorn’s blood turned to ice as the monster let out a bone-chilling bellow. Trixie wanted more than anything to duck off the road and dive into the bushes. But she was frozen to the spot, and could only look up in terror at the horrifying creature as it began to slow in its advance. The blue unicorn’s heart beat as loudly as a drum. It saw her. It knew she was there. She would have screamed if she had been able to. There was one last gigantic stomp as the beast stopped before her. Trixie stared up in horror, her mouth open and trembling.

It stood before her a tall, twisted, writhing thing, like a monstrous tree of gargantuan proportions. A serpentine tail trailed behind it, moving back and forth like a predator waiting to strike. The tail connected to a lithe torso covered in thick, razor sharp scales. The beast was supported by a pair of sinewy legs, their talons digging deep into the earth. Two arm-like limbs were held close to the body. Digits nearly the length of the arms dangled from the bony wrists, bristling with stiff, wiry hairs, and tipped with long black claws. They resembled a gigantic pair of spiders hanging from the creature’s arms. A pair of bat-like wings were folded against its back, their scales glistening in the light of the rising moon. A long, snaking neck towered into the sky, and was topped off by a huge, hideous, fishlike head. Gargantuan red eyes blazed in their sockets as two long, crooked antennae twitched and swayed in the breeze. Drooping from above the mouth was a pair of barbels. Huge rodent-like teeth protruded from its gaping maw, clacking sharply as it snapped its jaws.

Trixie sweat profusely as the beast stooped down, its head dropping to her level. She felt its hot, stinking breath pour all over her body as it drew near in an almost curious manner. Its huge red orbs remained blank as they stared into her soul. The head gently tilted from side to side, watching the blue pony tremble. A questioning growl emerged from its throat, and its nostrils inhaled the air around her, taking in her scent.

Though she was saturated with fear, Trixie somehow managed to activate the spell she had prepared. The world suddenly became much darker as a thick, black storm cloud began to form in the air above her head. The winds picked up, and somehow they seemed to elevate Trixie’s confidence. The creature suddenly drew back from her and looked up at the sky. The growl became a snarling hiss. Trixie concentrated her full attention on the creature. A jagged bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and made contact with the beast’s scaly chest.

Trixie was suddenly thrown backwards as the bolt ricocheted off of the monster and struck her horn. The unicorn sparked and fizzled as a million volts coursed throughout her body. She lay on her back and looked up at the still storming sky, dazed and confused. A cloud of steam suddenly came barreling out of her mouth as she belched; the heat of the bolt having cooked the vegetable stew in her stomach a second time. Trixie’s scrambled thoughts instantly realigned themselves as she heard a furious roar. The form of the hideous beast suddenly appeared before her eyes, towering into the dark sky. The monstrous head descended down until it was only a few feet above her.

“No!” Trixie wailed miserably, “No, no, no, no!” The monster’s cavernous mouth opened in a piercing shreik, its horrific incisors gleaming in the flashing light. The whole world around it seemed to change from black and white and back again as the ground was assaulted over and over again by the crooked bolts of lightning. All the while the beast’s blazing eyes remained constant, focusing on the poor pony with an animalistic fury. Trixie screamed mindlessly as the nightmarish monster snarled and screeched over her. The only thing in her mind was its name, which repeated over and over:…The Jabberwock.

The beast loped down the road, seething and in pain. The earth shook as it stumbled over a rickety secondhand cart, turning it over on its side. The creature’s chest ached slightly where it had been struck by lightning, but there was no serious damage. It hardly felt it through the fog of unfamiliar sensations that bombarded its brain. New noises and smells came from the distance. They were unnatural to the beast, cold and mechanical, harsh and artificial. The beast sneered, his glowing eyes focusing on the towns that lay ahead.

Author's Note:

I've updated this chapter to make the story a little more congruent with Trixie's appearance in Season three.

Comments

[Mr. Grimm]

510557 Thanks for pointing that out. I fixed it. It was supposed to be one of the comedic points of the story, but meh, I guess it wasn't that funny anyway.

[Orrkon]

512381soo anything besides the jabberwock gonna make a monster appearance if you do I have ideas

[Mr. Grimm]

703131

Well, not exactly, seeing as they're all as scared of the Jabberwock as everyone else is.

[Orrkon]

704916 what bout jabberwock spawns ya know little jabbers

[Mr. Grimm]

705163

If he were able to do that, Equestria wouldn't exist.

Anyway, there's an explanation for his singularity later on in the story.

[Orrkon]

705258ooohhh....... but still little jabbers just have them die and one survive for sequel!

[Reader Wolf]

Only a total idiot would try and face the monster without it.
And cue the idiot...